Joint Course Offered under HKU-CUHK-HKUST Centre for Advanced Study
Department(s), Departments of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, Chemical Pathology, Obstetrics
institution
and Gynaecology, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, CUHK
Division of Life Science, School of Science, HKUST
Department of Pathology, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU
Course title
Molecular Medicine:
(general) &
This joint course will give an introduction to basic concepts as well as modern
description
techniques and technologies in Molecular Medicine. Current usages of molecular
diagnostic tests will be discussed and cancer will be used as a disease model in most
of the examples covered in the course. Specific course objectives in relation to the
topics covered are as follows:
Course code
Course
credits/units
Course title
Grading
scheme
Term offered
Teacher
Class schedule
Venue
Assessment
 To obtain basic knowledge of chromosomal abnormalities in tumour cells,
methods for detection and their clinical significance
 To discuss the genetic basis of cancer and implications for clinical diagnosis,
prognostication and disease monitoring
 Special topics in neuroscience/cancer biology: to focus on neuronal signaling and
neurodegenerative diseases, and cell cycle control
 Cell signaling: to discuss the concept and techniques used in signal transduction
study and its connection with cancer
 To obtain basic knowledge in molecular diagnostics
 To obtain basic concepts on the design of molecular medicine studies, including
statistical considerations
 To obtain basic knowledge on high throughput molecular technologies, including
those used in proteomics and the mass spectrometric analysis of nucleic acids
CUHK
HKUST
HKU
MED6001
LIFS6660
MMPH6020
CUHK
HKUST
HKU
3 units
3 credits
N/A
CUHK
HKUST
HKU
Molecular Medicine
CUHK
HKUST
HKU
A-F grades
Pass/Fail
Pass/Fail
2nd semester, 2015-16: January – April 2016
CUHK
HKUST
HKU
Prof. K.C.Allen Chan Prof Pingbo Huang
Dr. C.C.L. Wong
Prof. B. Zee
Dr J.C.M. Wong
Prof Danny CY Leung
Dr. K.M. Lau
Prof S.Y. Leung
Prof Hannah H Xue
Dr. Maggie Wang
Dr M.P. Wong
Prof Karl Herrup
Dr. Huating Wang
Dr J.W.P. Yam
Please see the below table
CUHK
HKUST
HKU
Seminar Room 1 /
Cheung On Tak Lecture Lecture Theatre, Room 134, 1/F,
Lecture Theatre
University Pathology Building,
Theatre (LT-E),
2/F, LCW Clinical
Queen Mary Hospital
Academic Building, The
Sciences Building
Hong Kong University
Prince of Wales
Hospital, Shatin
of Science and
Technology, Clear
Water Bay, Kowloon

The assessment of the course is based on a take-home essay question
on a selected topic. Attendance rate is included in the assessment for
HKUST students (the minimum attendance rate is 75% and students
need to sign before and after the class).

The length of the essay is limited to 2500 words.
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All teachers of the course would set an essay question for their own
topic for students to choose from.
A quota is set for each topic (e.g. 20 students maximum).
In case of over-quota in any topic, students would be chosen in random
and the remaining students would be assigned to a topic of their second
choice.
Teachers would mark the essays on their own topic for grades A-F,
which could be translated in to Pass/Fail grades according to the
grading system of each institution.
The dissertation assessment guidelines currently adopted by the Master
of Medical Sciences programme at HKU and a similar marking scheme
from the CUHK would be taken as a reference.
The topics should be made available for students to select in March
2015;
Students should be required to indicate their top three choices of topics
in priority order within one week and be required to submit their essays
within one month.
Joint Course in Molecular Medicine
 12 sessions each lasting for approximately 3 hours (total 36 hours)
 Each university contributes 4 sessions (total 12 hours)
 Classes will be held on Saturdays, starting from Jan 9, 2016.
 Scheduled teaching time: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm (10:30am to 1:30pm for classes at HKU)
Lectures schedule:
Datea,b and
Time
Venueb
Topic
9 Jan 2016
10:00 – 13:00
CUHK
Clinical Applications of Molecular
Diagnostics Techniques I
16 Jan 2016
10:00 – 13:00
CUHK
Non-coding RNAs: Nature's Trash or
Treasure?
Clinical Trials Designs
23 Jan 2016
10:00 – 13:00
CUHK
30 Jan 2016
10:00 – 13:00
Teacher
Dr K.M. Lau
Dr Huating Wang
Prof Benny Zee
Bioinformatics Applications in Molecular
Medicine
Dr Maggie Wang
CUHK
Clinical Applications of Molecular
Diagnostics Techniques II
Prof Allen Chan
13 Feb 2016
10:00 – 13:00
HKUST
Ion channels in health and disease
Prof Pingbo Huang
20 Feb 2016
10:00 – 13:00
HKUST
Interplay between epigenetic pathways:
Regulation of non-coding DNA
27 Feb 2016
10:00 – 13:00
HKUST
Molecular Medicine in Genomics Era
Prof Hannah H Xue
5 Mar 2016
10:00 – 13:00
HKUST
The biology of aging and its impact on
neurodegenerative disease
Prof Karl Herrup
12 March 2016
10:30 – 13:30
HKU
Molecular genetics of cancer: genomic
analysis
Prof S.Y. Leung
2
Prof Danny CY Leung
19 March 2016
10:30 – 13:30
HKU
Oncogenes and transcription factors
Hypoxia and cancer
2 Apr 2016
10:30 – 13:30
HKU
Molecular genetics of cancer: tumour
suppressor genes
A. Identification and Inactivation
Mechanism of Tumour Suppressor Genes
B. Functional Characterization of Tumour
Suppressor Genes
9 Apr 2016
10:30 – 13:30
HKU
Cancer epigenetics
Dr J.W.P. Yam
Dr C.C.L. Wong
Dr M.P. Wong
Dr J.W.P. Yam
Dr J.C.M. Wong
Note:
a
6 Feb 2016 is within the Chinese New Year holidays.
b
26 March 2016 is within the Easter holidays
b
Venue:
CUHK:
9 Jan, 2016
Seminar Room 1, 2/F, Lui Che Woo Clinical Sciences Building,
Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin
16 Jan 2016
Room 301, 3/F, Li Ka Shing Medical Sciences Building, Prince of
Wales Hospital, Shatin
23, 30 Jan, 2016
Lecture Theatre, 2/F, Lui Che Woo Clinical Sciences Building,
Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin
HKUST: Cheung On Tak Lecture Theatre (LT-E), Academic Building, The Hong Kong University of
Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon
HKU:
Lecture Theatre, Room 134, 1/F, University Pathology Building, Queen Mary Hospital
Revised on: 2 December 2015
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